Adventure & Exploration

Principles of Success learned through the Pursuit of Adventure, an animation by Ray Dalio. A short film with wide application to life and work.

“Whatever success I’ve had in life hasn’t been because of anything unique about me—it’s because of principles that I believe anyone can adopt. I created this animated series to share them with you”.—Ray Dalio

In 1975, Ray Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Over forty years later, Bridgewater has grown into the largest hedge fund in the world and the fifth most important private company in the United States according to Fortune magazine, and Dalio himself has been named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Along the way Dalio discovered unique principles that have led to his and Bridgewater’s unique success. It is these principles, and not anything special about Dalio, that he believes are the reason behind whatever success he has had. He is now at a stage in his life that he wants to pass them along to others to do whatever they think is appropriate to do with them.

Coffee is a comfort which sustains explorers the world over. Seeds from the unassuming coffee shrub have inspired voyages of harvest and trade since the 10th century. This heritage is embraced by the coffee connoisseurs at Nespresso who have released a limited collection of the world’s rarest single origin arabica’s—sourced from India, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and the Galapagos Islands.

A story within a box, unfolding like origami to reveal treasures within. Four sleeves of coffee adorned with patterns unique to their origin. A photo album nestled inside, shares the stories of the coffee growers and hints at the complex aromas and flavours of the beans you are about to experience. Two special edition glasses are hidden beneath in a submerged cavity—unveiled only as you explore a little deeper.

Distilled in a drink…the mysteries of nature—a thought to savour as you unwrap this exquisite gift!

The carefully-curated Explorations 2018 box is the result of a challenge set by Nespresso coffee experts who travelled the world to source and select their ‘picks of the year’: a collection of four Limited Edition coffees considered as ‘gems’ due to their rarity, scarcity and extraordinary aromatic profiles. In addition to the four coffees, the box also comes complete with a set of two Nespresso Reveal coffee glasses, designed with Riedel, along with a coffee table book filled with coffee stories and tasting recommendations.

Mitch Monaghan, Nespresso Coffee Ambassador, said of the launch: “All of the coffees in the new Explorations box each hold a rare story that I am excited to share with Australia. Remote lands or unusual conditions can transform a normal coffee plant into a true coffee treasure; I love that each unique taste of the Explorations range comes from somewhere unexpected.”

India Mylemoney

Mylemoney Single Estate sits at a high elevation near the Bababudan Mountain in Chikmagalur, Southern India. According to legend, India’s first coffee was planted there over 300 years ago with seeds smuggled in from Arabia by a pilgrim named Bababuda, after whom the mountain was named.

All ideal factors culminate on this farm: 1200 metres high elevation rich farm biodiversity, two distinct levels of shaded trees, a meticulous processing system with selective picking of ripe cherries and eco-friendly pulping, fermenting, washing and drying under the natural sunlight.

The result is a complex coffee with dry cereal and toasted notes that are reminiscent of bread crust.

Nicaragua Las Marias

1300 metres above sea level, Finca Las Marias was the first Nicaraguan farm to be Rainforest Alliance-certified back in 2003.

Where Nicaraguan coffee is usually processed by the washing method, this single-estate gem is ‘black honey’ processed. This means the mucilage or ‘miel’ (honey) in Spanish – the sticky fruit of the coffee cherry – is left on the seed during drying.

The process enhances the coffee’s ultimate sweetness by highlighting the fruity notes which are coupled with a fine acidity for an overall comforting, balanced and round cup of coffee.

República Dominicana Valle Del Cibao

What’s striking in this medium roasted Espresso is its refreshing green notes of fruits and nuts. Complimented with a touch of acidity and a light body, this is undoubtedly a great coffee to discover.

Prone to hurricanes in the Caribbean, the Valle Del Cibao lies between two mountain chains with one being home to the Caribbean’s highest mountain, Pico Duarte. This giant mass protects the entire region from excessive climate variations, adding a stability that is evidently translated into the coffee beans, making its flavours round and balanced.

These conditions, coupled with the constant rainy season of the Caribbean Islands which yields an almost year-round coffee cropping and harvesting period, result in a refreshing medium-roast coffee with green notes of fruit and nuts.

Galapagos Santa Cruz

The Galapagos Islands are not the tropical hothouse that usually characterise a fine coffee-sourcing region. Instead – with the cold ocean current that runs from Peru, The Cromwell currents that travel from the West Pacific and carry rich nutrients, and the North and South trade that battles the heat of the sun – the Galapagos become a unique hot bed for plant growth.

These specialised conditions create a full-bodied coffee with a cacao-like bitterness, that reveals roasted and sweet biscuit notes.

The 2018 Explorations Tasting Box will be available for a limited time from 15th October 2018 to purchase from Nespresso Boutiques, or order through the Nespresso Club, and online at nespresso.com. RRP $90 for four sleeves of coffee, a set of Nespresso Reveal Glasses and a Limited Edition coffee table book.

Jordan is a land of mind-blowing scenery and iconic historical sites. This spring for the first time, a group of intrepid paramotor pilots were invited by the Aqaba Tourism Directorate to explore these landscapes and ancient ruins from the air. Thanks to cooperation from the Royal Aero Sports Club of Jordan, these minimal flying machines were able to fly closer than any other manned aircraft before to the vertiginous topography and unique history of this desert Kingdom. With potentially dangerous conditions and challenging landscapes, the flights required careful planning and patience but when it all came together, the pilots were rewarded with the experience of a lifetime.

After sleeping under the stars, the team woke before first light to prepare their equipment and get airbourne before the intense desert heat made the air too lively for safe flights. The adventure took them first to the incredible rock formations of Wadi Rum, which stood in for Mars in the film The Martian starring Matt Damon, as well as being the setting for Lawrence of Arabia. Here the pilots negotiated towering rock outcrops and ravines before sampling the legendary Bedouin hospitality. Further north, the team had the privilege of flying the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Petra, once a thriving city in the desert with elaborate temples and an amphitheatre all hewn from bedrock. After passing over the mountains at 5000ft, they descended to the Dead Sea where they rounded off the adventure skimming over the salty waters at sunset 1000ft below sea level.

About the photographer

Fergus Kennedy is a marine biologist, photographer, and film-maker, and an experienced multi-rotor pilot and camera operator. Through his company, Skylark Aerial Imaging, he provides aerial video, still photography, and 3D modelling services to clients including the BBC, ITV, ABC Television, Canon Europe, Toyota, Nissan, Love Productions (Fergus is responsible for the intro sequence for the Great British Bake Off), WWF, and the Royal Navy. His first book Drone Photography Masterclass was published by Ammonite Press in 2017 and he is a judge for the Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition. This autumn he serves as consultant editor on the new book Masters of Drone Photography which will bring together an amazing collection of drone photographers from around the world and share their secrets on how they achieve such wonderous photos.

From the lofty heights of a sea plane one is privy to a different view—where natures colours bleed out in rich and varied hues, like roots of a tree.

The image above and those below are part of a dynamic exhibit by Tony Hewitt and Denis Glennon AO, entitled: Girt by Sea, launched today by Canon Australia.

The unique showcase comprises a stunning collection of 100 large-format aerial images of our coastline captured and reproduced in rich detail and displayed on a scale as bold as the voyage to capture them. Australian Foreign Minister Hon Julie Bishop MP will officially open the exhibition tomorrow at Paddington Town Hall, with the doors opening free of charge to the public from Saturday 16 June until Wednesday 27 June, 10am–6pm daily.

“Girt by Sea the latest in a series of major collaborations for Canon locally and we’re extremely proud of what we’ve been able to achieve together with some of the most creative minds in Australia,” says Canon Australia’s Director of Consumer Imaging, Jason McLean. “It’s great that Tony and Denis approached Canon with Tony’s vision because the scope and purpose of this audacious project was immediately appealing. We’re proud of our products, but ultimately we’re known for what people like Tony and Denis do with them – and I think we all agree that they’ve done something very special indeed.”

Tony Hewitt comments on the collaboration: “As Helen Keller famously said, ‘Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much’. It had always been my dream to create a project on the scale of what we’re unveiling today and I am sincerely grateful to Canon Australia for their confidence in us and their support and sponsorship of the adventure.”

Fuelled by the spirit of curiosity, the gregarious duo of explorers took to the skies on an adventure to fulfil a childhood dream.

The Dream: Since his school days singing Advance Australia Fair in assembly, Tony Hewitt was fascinated by the curious expression ‘girt by sea’. Years later as an acclaimed photographer, ‘girt by sea’ became the metaphor for an epic Australian adventure: to circumnavigate Australia’s coastline by air in one 31-day trip, capture it in stunning detail and bring new meaning to those three words. Tony shared his dream with close friend and accomplished photographer Denis Glennon AO, and the pair decided to make the dream a reality.

“I knew that only a privileged few had explored Australia’s breathtaking coastline to any significant degree from the air. So, I got to wondering what an adventure it would be to experience all of it in one go; to capture and reveal its magical, ever-changing beauty,” says Tony Hewitt. “Girt by Sea started as an ambitious dream and now it’s a lived experience. More than that, the collection means that we can now hold the understanding of those three words in our hands.”

The journey of discovery: Commencing and finishing at Jandakot Airport, Western Australia, the voyage took an anticlockwise flight path allowing both photographers to shoot simultaneously through front and rear portside windows of the Cessna 210 light aircraft, which generally tracked just off the coast.

“This was never a documentary trip; it was a voyage of discovery akin to the explorers of old,” says Denis Glennon. “There’s lots of planning and preparation with a trip of this scale but ultimately it’s instinct and curiosity that led to us taking the images in our collection. We had an expectation of what we might see courtesy of Google Earth, but what we actually saw when we got there blew us out of our seats every time.”

The challenges: Following extensive research of historical weather patterns, especially for the more remote southern and northern regions, April was selected as the optimal time of the year to complete and aerial circumnavigation of the coastline in one go. The decision proved a good one and the pre-planned schedule was adhered to, despite challenging weather on several days.

“We had to complete the trip in 31 days so planning had to account for the journey and photography time and we had to provide the pilots with the way points ahead of each leg. We could delay take-off or get out early but we had to stick to time,” says Tony Hewitt. “Planning can get you so far but we had to constantly account for variables such as tides, weather conditions and just the unexpected marvels that we would find when we were faced with a location for the first time.”

The Collection: “The collection expresses what Girt by Sea means to us – it’s the emotional response to what we saw a point in time captured in beautiful, large-format images,” says Denis Glennon. “It’s the result of our daily decision to focus on what we actually find, not on what we expect to find – that’s the spirit of exploration!”

“I hope people share the same emotional response of ‘Wow – look at that!’ that we did when we encountered these places,” says Tony Hewitt. “It doesn’t really matter where it is. What is so striking is the texture, colour, and shape of our coastline. We have in our minds a hard line dividing land from sea, but it’s actually a much more fluid transition.

Images are available for purchase framed and unframed online and at the venue.

Creating an experience inspired by your mom, is a beautiful way to honour her spirit. This could be as simple as recreating a favourite moment you shared (like making a batch of blueberry pancakes) or crafting a box of essentials based on all the things which reflect her spirit…adventurous, stylish, creative!

Here are some ideas from one spirit who lives for adventure…

Australian mom and cancer survivor, Heather Hawkins loves a physical quest. For her, it symbolises the joy of second chances, courage, and survival.

I love Mother’s Day for so many reasons, every year it pops up in my calendar as a wonderful reminder for us to celebrate motherhood, giving us a chance to get together with family, and another opportunity to thank all those Mums who have had such a profound influence on our lives.

And even though the day brings with it a mix of emotions—my mum passed away 10 years ago and the tears still aren’t very far from the surface—my smile doesn’t fade because her memory lives on and I’m incredibly thankful for her love, her inspiration, and her sense of adventure. Everyday I’ll keep doing my very best to ‘share her qualities forward’ with my own children.

If I was to plan the ultimate Mother’s Day it would definitely involve a dash of adventure. In the past I would have said: a sleep-in, croissants and a cup of tea in bed. Today, I love the idea of getting out and sharing experiences with my family!

In 2016 I was fortunate enough to have a Mother’s Day with a difference—I was in Nepal with my adult children, and we were halfway through a five month trek along the Great Himalaya Trail, we were living out of backpacks, sleeping in tiny yellow tents, and trying to escape the heat and humidity of the oncoming monsoon by heading up into the snow covered mountains.

This year I’ll be at home, closer to the comforts of modern life and cafes, but keeping up a family tradition of running in the Mother’s Day Classic fun run to help raise funds for breast cancer research. We’ll follow this up with a hearty brunch and phone calls to family members who are away.

Mother’s Day also reminds me of how precious life is. Surviving Ovarian Cancer 11 years ago made me acutely aware of this, and I’m keener than ever to be the best mum I can be, to be fitter, more positive and encouraging, and taking time to invest in nurturing our adventurous spirits.

There are several things I’ve learned these past few years to help achieve this…

Keep a diary. Get in touch with what’s going on inside, because putting emotions into words is powerful and cathartic, and writing down dreams and goals is your first step forward into making them a reality.

Get yourself fit. It will flow over into every other part of your life. You’ll find you’ll have a whole lot more energy, motivation, and increased emotional and physical resilience to take on the every day.

Remember to lead by example. Your children are watching and learning from you. Be the best role model you can be.

Follow other people’s journeys and expeditions.* Be inspired, and see what is possible. Push the boundaries of your comfort zone and take on something new.

Plan an active adventure with your family. Big or small, maybe it will last an hour or perhaps weeks: trek, run, cycle, swim, climb. It’s about teaching our children to spend a whole lot more time in the real world as opposed to the virtual world, to get them out in nature, to experience what it’s like to reach their physical limits, to get tired, be amazed, and be happy.

Get busy making these memories… and then planning for the next one!

Give your mum a special hug, tell your family that you love them, and on the day, head out and have a really awesome adventure together.

* Heather’s autobiography ‘Adventurous Spirit’ is available from Murdoch Books, with 10% of all sales in May donated to Ovarian Cancer Australia-a great Mother’s Day initiative. Follow Heather’s Adventures @ adventurousspirit.com.au

Create a box with a few things to lift mom’s spirit, such as…

A box of ingredients with a handmade recipe card. Pancakes, muffins, maybe even the family curry… add a note or photo that captures the special memory and experience of cooking with mom.

Pamper hamper of beauty essentials. Busy moms will appreciate being able to recreate the spa experience at home… the Braun Silk-épil 9 SkinSpa is like the swiss army of spa tools, from self-massage to hair removal with a bevy of benefits including: no risk of burns from hot wax or lasers, no chemicals or harsh ingredients, no disposables (shaver heads, wax strips and pots) which cost mom and the environment. It is a pluck above the rest with MicroGrip tweezer technology that removes hair as small as a grain of sand. Speaking of sand, the Sonic Exfoliation Technology exfoliates skin with 3,000 micro-vibrations per minute, leading to 6 x** more effective exfoliation than a manual scrub. One tool, five spa treatments which work wet or dry to leave mom feeling thoroughly pampered, invigorated and renewed.

Fitness is my fix, energise me kit. There is something empowering about movement which all moms deserve to experience. Exercise creates energy and fortifies the spirit, it is a gift that communicates self-care and celebrates freedom. SKINS support movement of every kind, from downward dogs to dirt runs, bouldering to ballet. Engineered to give a natural advantage in sports, no drugs just smart design—SKINS have evolved their compression wear to express a vibrant DNAmic collection which captures the spirit of sport and an active lifestyle. K-Proprium Tights are their latest game-changer, combining the world’s best Dynamic Gradient Compression with strategically placed Proprioceptive Power Bands (PPB’s) to fight fatigue, reduce the risk of injury and improve performance by enhancing proprioception. Allowing adventurous moms like Heather to ‘Go the Distance’ no matter the marathon.